The 2024-2025 Southern Circuit Season Announcement Highlights Compelling Southern Stories and Issues

Atlanta — South Arts announces the lineup of twenty-one Screening Partner venues and thirteen films and filmmaking teams selected for the 2024-2025 Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers. This long-running South Arts program connects US-based documentary filmmakers with communities throughout the South for screenings and conversations around important stories, topics, and the art of filmmaking. 

See the 2024-2025 Southern Circuit season schedule

“The Screening Partner film selections for this season demonstrate the group’s commitment to fostering curious spaces and using film as a conduit for local conversations,” shares Jordan Young, program director. “Directly connecting independent filmmakers with community audiences amplifies the films’ impact while investing in the regional filmmaking infrastructure of the South and engaging local community members in critical conversations.”

Among the season’s selections are This World Is Not My Own about the life and work of renowned Georgia artist Nellie Mae Rowe, Family Tree exploring sustainable forestry in North Carolina through the stories of two Black families, and Bulls and Saints which bucks the American Dream with a story of reverse migration.

This year’s Screening Partner venues are:

• Birmingham, AL – Sidewalk Film Center and Cinema
• Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
• Fort Myers, FL – Lee County Alliance of the Arts
• Miami, FL – O Cinema
• Atlanta, GA – Emory University Center for Ethics
• Canton, GA – Canton Theatre in partnership with the Fox Theatre (Atlanta, GA)
• Eatonton, GA – The Plaza Arts Center
• Hapeville, GA – City of Hapeville
• Lawrenceville, GA – Aurora Theatre
• Rome, GA – Rome International Film Festival
• Bowling Green, KY – Western Kentucky University
• Alexandria, LA – Arts Council of Central Louisiana
• Cleveland, MS – Delta Arts Alliance
• Jackson, MS – Mississippi Film Society
• Asheville, NC – Asheville Art Museum
• Charlotte, NC – Charlotte Museum of History
• Wilmington, NC – University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Cucalorus Film Festival, Working Films, and WHQR Public Media
• Winston-Salem, NC – a/perture cinema
• Clemson, SC – Clemson University
• Maryville, TN – Clayton Center for the Arts
• Nashville, TN – Global Education Center

The films and filmmakers that will tour on the Southern Circuit are:

• Bulls & Saints – Rodrigo Dorfman (Director)
• City of a Million Dreams – Timothy Watson (Co-producer, Editor)
• Family Tree – Jennifer MacArthur (Director)
• Home is a Hotel – Kevin Wong (Director, Producer, Co-Cinematographer) and Yar Kin Tham (Co-Director, Producer)
• Kim's Video – David Redmon and Ashley Sabin (Directors, Producers, Writers, Editors)
• Lift – Steven Melendez (Protagonist), Mary Recine (Producer), and David Peterson (Director, Producer)
• North Putnam – Joel Fendelman (Director) and Beth Benedix (Producer)
• O Pioneer – Clara Lehmann (Director, Producer, and Writer) and Jonathan Lacocque (Director, Producer, Cinematographer, and Editor)
• The Playmaker – Hannah Bowman (Director/Producer/Editor/Cinematographer)
• Santos - Skin to Skin - Kathryn Golden (Producer, Director, Editor) and Ashley James (Producer, Director of Photography)
• Small Town Universe – Katie Dellamaggiore (Director, Producer)
• This World Is Not My Own - Petter Ringbom (Director, Writer, Cinematographer), Ruchi Mital (Writer, Producer), and Cathi Perry (Family member)
• Where the Butterflies Go – Fraser Jones (Director, Producer, Host)

Visit the individual film tour pages on southarts.org for tour dates and featured filmmakers and film protagonists.

Since its inception in 1975, Southern Circuit has brought influential independent filmmakers and their films from around the country to communities throughout the South. The program is made possible through a partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. Ticketing and schedule information is available through the local Screening Partner venues.

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About South Arts

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, South Arts is a nonprofit regional arts organization empowering artists, organizations, and communities, and increasing access to arts and culture. Our mission: advancing Southern vitality through the arts. In partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the State Arts Agencies of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee — with additional funding from other public and private donors such as the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation — South Arts supports artists and organizations through a rich and responsive portfolio of grants, fellowships, and programs. South Arts believes that the arts elevate the region, increasing connectedness and inspiring meaningful change in the process. For more information, visit www.southarts.org.